For our first stop, we only needed to walk 5 mins from our hotel. Yerebatan Sarnici or Basilica Cistern or Sunken Palace is the largest of cistern (storage of water, often rainwater) in Istanbul. Its entrance is right across the street from Hagia Sophia. From the look of its entrance, it doesn't look like much inside. After paying for ticket, we went down a flight of stair and to an underworld. I just can't understand why they had to make a well so grand. It was actually simply a well, with waterproof lining. All the columns are decorated in Roman style, they could have made it a simple round columns to save time and energy. I guess ancient people didn't know the word simple. Anyway, it's a treasure for the later generations.
We left through another set of stair. From the exit, we wasted no time heading to Sultanahmet stop. We took the tram to the opposite direction of the day before and got off at Beyazit stop (2 stops from Sultanahmet). From the stop, it was only a short walk to the Bazaar. There are many entrances to the Grand Bazaar but, the main entrance is on Cadircilar avenue.
It was yet another trip through time machine. This place is huge with very long corridors and many many side alleys. The ceiling is decorated with traditional tiles. There were many various kind of shops lining on both sides, from silver to bag (fake, I presume) and souvenir to traditional crafts, basically something for everyone.
It was almost impossible to remember and super easy to get lost. We knew from our experience with such old market that, if we found something that we like, we had better buy it because it was very likely that we would not be able to find the same shop again. To hesitate or second thought could mean going back empty hand.
At first, we tried to walk systematically, one corridor at a time. However, before long, we started walking into a different alley that seemed to have something that we wanted, in a fear that we might not get back...then, we knew that we were kind of lost. After that, we just gave up and thought that we would just go wherever it looked good.
We were looking mostly at silver shops and souvenir as a gifts for people back home. We skipped most of the home decoration shops since we knew, no matter how nice they looked, we wouldn't be able to bring home or we might not have place for them. Another kind of shops that we were trying to avoid was the carpet shops. People from carpet shops are notorious for being very aggressive (when selling, I mean), persistent and not so trustworthy which probably might not be true for all. Anyway, most tourists are pre-warned not to buy carpet in the Grand Bazaar because most people cannot distinguish the real Turkish rug from the fake one. Also, even if it was the genuine Turkish rug, it was mostly likely be over-priced. So, we avoided them all and tried our hardest not to look at the rug even from shops' window. Why? Because if they caught us looking at their carpets, even just the slightest, the sellers would immediately spill out from their shops and started welcoming, inviting, begging us, charming us, basically anyway they could to bring us inside their shops. We knew that once we were inside, it was super difficult to get out...like a trap, a human quicksand. Once they started coming out of their shop, I just wanted to simply run away. I mean they were not rude or scary but, I just wanted to be left alone (with my friend of course) and to shop at peace. I just wanted to tell them that if I wanted something, I would let you know but, of course, they would not understand. So, we ended up not looking at any carpet...except one shop! I didn't know why I stopped in front of that shop at first place. Maybe it was because this shop looked more peaceful and harmless. Nobody was in front of this shop, it was on its own, apart from other carpet places. And the displayed carpet...OMG, so Beautiful! We were starring at it for sometime until an old man, the owner came us to us. Honestly, we didn't notice when he came. We were totally absorbed in looking at that piece of carpet. The way he approached us was totally different from others of his kind. He didn't try to drag us into his shop (not right away at least). He actually started to explain to us the differences between the different kind of Turkish rugs, how they were made and where they were from. He was like a professor, here to educate the travelers. OK, I knew that, at the end, his purpose was to sell us carpet but, his approach made us feel at ease and not on the defensive so much. We did ended up inside his shop. He asked what we wanted to see, anything we were looking for, what size and what color. I finally gave in as I was going to redecorate my room. He kind of give me an inspiration that a silk Turkish carpet would be really nice because one thing that I planned to do was to decorated my room with things that I collect from different trips. So, how great would it be to actually bring back a carpet for my new room. And so, I told him the size (I didn't have much space so, small one was enough). I wanted silk carpet because it is soft to touch and have kind of shiny look to it. It even changes color when turned, the owner demonstrated to us. Also, I wanted something with bright color and not too elaborate designed. His assistant brought about 10 - 12 carpets for me to pick. I was a little panic but my friend kept telling me that if I didn't like anything, we could always leave. Well, I did!! I actually got goose-bump when I saw the carpet I like. It was bright red and blue as I prefer.
We looked through so many carpets but, my mind kept coming back to my red and blue. After the second look, I knew that this was my carpet. Now, it was the matter of price. We did bargain a bit but, we were really naive about how much the carpet should cost. I admit that it was expensive but, it was the real thing and I totally love it...why not! Actually, both my friend and I each got one carpet for our home. To bring it back home, they folded our carpets into a small bundle, just enough to fit into our luggage, how convenient! Actually, I wanted to scream when they started folding the carpet, my beautiful carpet!! but, they ensured me that they have done it thousands of times and it would not do any harm to the carpet. We left the shop lighter (our pocket, I mean) but, very satisfied with what we got. We did a bit more shopping for jewelry and gifts before leaving. We took the tram back and by that time it was mid day. So...lunch. We picked the place close to the tram which had wide variety of restaurants to choose from. For today, we chose to experience a cafeteria style restaurant, there were actually a few around. The one we chose was called Can Restaurant. The reason? The foods on display looked so so good, we just couldn't help.
After a lot of thinking, we ordered half roasted chicken, stew sausage and some eggplant dish with rice. The rice was so tasty, it was some how like rice for Hainanese chicken rice.
It was a fulfill lunch and it energized us for an afternoon of walking, again. First, we when back for a quick stop at hotel to leave our stuff as well as to freshen up.
For the afternoon, we headed to Taksim Square, postponed from the day before. We took the tram to the end of the line (Kabatas) then, changed to F1 tram which is a super short tram, one stop. The tram took us from Kabatas to Taksim, up the hill. It was actually like an underground funicular. We got off close to the middle of Taksim Square. At the center of the square is the Monument of the Republic. The place was pretty chaotic to be honest with lots of traffics and people.
This is also a starting point for another and very old tram line. It is the one of only two old tram line that is still running. It connects Taksim Square with Tunnel Square and run along Istiklal street. We definitely had to take it at some point but, not now. Our plan was to walk along Istiklal street to Tunnel Square, soaking in the scene and doing a bit of window shopping along the way. Then, we would take the tram back as we anticipated that we would be tired by that time. The entrance to Istiklal street (what a hard name to remember) is lined with small shops selling orange juice and kebab, an economical option for a meal.
The street itself is full of many small shops and cafe. It was very entertaining to walk along the street, just needed to be mindful of the tram. It isn't fast but, it could catch people off guard especially when there are many things to look at.
We didn't get anything, like I said, window shopping. There were so many cute & cool shops. Before we knew it, we were already almost the end the the street. I know that our plan was to take the tram back. However, it was after mid afternoon, like 4pm and we were kind of thirsty as well as craving for a little snack. We thought that the tram could wait a little bit. So, we backtracked and looked for a nice pretty place to have some tea. We found this cafe with a little open air area at the front that was quite pretty. Unfortunately, the outdoor area was full but, it didn't really matter, the inside was nice too. It was a combination of vintage and modern design, I guess.
We each had tea but, not only tea. We decided to share a sweet because as much as we wanted to eat, dinner was coming up. There were cakes and different kind of tarts on menu and ready to serve but, no, I had to have something different....Chocolate & banana calzone sound wonderful. When our dessert arrived, our jaws dropped. It was OMG huge. I know what calzone is but, I didn't think that they would make a dessert as big, like a main course!
This was a meal on its own. The dough was a bit tough but, it was quite yummy, banana and chocolate are always a good combination. We didn't plan to eat this much and so, it kind of throw us off our plan. We had to walk around a bit more before taking the tram back to Taksim Square. There was only one tram, running back and forth. It was quite crowded as there were several tourists who wanted to experience the old tram like us. However, there were locals as well. We actually met an old Turkish man who was very friendly and started chatting with us. Just before we reached Taksim Square, my friend spotted the restaurant that we were planning to have dinner at, Haci Baba. Our kind uncle on the tram actually approved our choice. He said that this was a very old and traditional Ottoman & Turkish restaurant and the food is very good. OK, we were definitely going there. Actually, we walked pass its entrance earlier but, didn't really pay attention. It wasn't difficult to get there. From Taksim Square, walk along Istiklal street, not very far and the restaurant's small entrance is on the left.
When we arrived, there was a guy to greet us or more like ushered us in and sent us up the stair. Turned out, this is more like a back door, the front is on the next street. It felt like we had to squeeze ourselves through between two buildings. The staff at this restaurant, though were professional, they were not as chattering as other restaurants. We got our table in a balcony like room with a little view of somebody garden. The table were set very close to each other with very small space to pass. Our table was set against the stair from the main entrance. On the wall, there were a few paintings of people in the Ottoman/Turkish cloth.
The menu, at a glance, looked like other Turkish restaurants with Meze for appetizer, only this one didn't bring the sample to table. Honestly, we weren't very hungry because we just had the gigantic dessert calzone a little over an hour ago. However, once we saw the eggplant meze, we just couldn't help. We like it too much. So, we had that then, we each ordered a main course. I had grilled meatball. This is something that I got kind of hooked from my last trip. From the picture, it might look dry because there wasn't any sauce but, believe me that the meat inside was really moist. There was a charcoal grilled taste on the outside and tasty juicy meat on the inside. I didn't really eat much of the rice and potato though, couldn't get them all down.
My friend ordered a more elaborate dish. It was some kind of stew lamb, wrapped inside eggplant. It looked like a parcel of goodness. It looked yummy and from what I heard from my friend and how much it was consumed, it was yummy. Try it, if you happen to be there.
After dinner, we just went back to our hotel to rest and start packing because tomorrow, we would be skipping town. Just couldn't believe how quick three days were. Tomorrow would be a start of an entirely new experience.
To be continue...
For the afternoon, we headed to Taksim Square, postponed from the day before. We took the tram to the end of the line (Kabatas) then, changed to F1 tram which is a super short tram, one stop. The tram took us from Kabatas to Taksim, up the hill. It was actually like an underground funicular. We got off close to the middle of Taksim Square. At the center of the square is the Monument of the Republic. The place was pretty chaotic to be honest with lots of traffics and people.
To be continue...
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